# Reviewing Floor Plans

> Use when the user shares an architectural floor plan (PDF, image, or CAD export) and asks for a review, feedback, or code-compliance check — checks egress, room clearances, door swings, and structural conflicts before the plan reaches a client or reviewer.

- Skill: `marcosmodly/reviewing-floor-plans` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add marcosmodly/reviewing-floor-plans`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/marcosmodly/reviewing-floor-plans/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- Author: marcosmodly (https://skillmd.com/u/marcosmodly)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/marcosmodly/reviewing-floor-plans

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# Reviewing floor plans

A floor plan review is a specific, checkable pass — not a general design
critique. Work through it in order; don't skip to "looks good" without
walking the checklist.

## 1. Orient yourself first

Before checking anything, confirm you actually know what you're looking at:

- Find the scale (a scale bar or a noted ratio like 1:100). If there isn't
  one, say so and ask — don't estimate real-world dimensions from an
  unscaled drawing.
- Find north. Orientation affects which egress paths and window placements
  actually make sense.
- Identify what's drawn vs. what's missing: is this a full floor, or one
  wing? Are furniture/fixtures shown, or just walls? Note the drawing's
  scope before flagging something as "missing" that was simply out of scope.

## 2. Run the review

Go through `reference/review-checklist.md` for the full pass: egress,
clearances and door swings, structural conflicts, and room-by-room
usability. It's long on purpose — this is where the actual domain checks
live, split out so this file stays a quick entry point.

## 3. Report findings the way a reviewer would use them

Group findings by severity, not by discovery order:

- **Blocking** — code violations, egress problems, structural conflicts.
  These need to be fixed before the plan moves forward.
- **Should fix** — usability or constructability problems that aren't code
  violations but will cause real friction (an awkward door swing, a
  too-narrow galley kitchen).
- **Worth flagging** — things you're not certain about because the drawing
  didn't give you enough information (unscaled area, ambiguous room label).

For each finding: name the room/location, what's wrong, and why it matters —
not just "this seems tight," but "the corridor outside bedroom 2 measures
~34 inches at its narrowest, below the ~36 inch minimum clear width most
residential codes require." Cite the specific measurement or rule, not a
vague impression.

## 4. Common mistakes to avoid

- Don't invent a code you're not sure applies — jurisdictions vary. Flag
  "this looks tight for typical egress-width requirements, worth confirming
  against your local code" rather than citing a specific code section you
  can't verify applies here.
- Don't review a plan you can't actually read clearly. If text or dimensions
  are illegible, say which ones rather than guessing.
- Don't stop at the first few issues. Walk the entire checklist even after
  you've found something — plans commonly have unrelated problems in
  different rooms.

See `reference/worked-example.md` for a fully worked review showing the
severity grouping and citation style in practice.